I'm just finishing up my first batch of Beer. I left it in the primary for 3 weeks, then bottled it, it had a FG of about 1.010. I probably should have used a secondary to clear it a bit as it was pretty cloudy when I bottled it. It now has a small layer of sediment at the bottom of the bottle, but other than that, the beer seems completely clear. It has only been bottled for a week.

My question is: How do I know when its ready for drinking? I know the 1-2-3 rule, and that its a guideline, but how do I know when the beer is good to drink? or when its carbonated?

It should be fine to drink after a week if you kept it at proper temperatures but just give it some time

RDWHAHB

Yep- only sure way to tell. BUT..........it's always best to "test" by putting the bottle in the fridge for at least 24-48 hours before trying. It forces the co2 in the headspace into solution, to give you a better idea of the carbonation level. Cold beer absorbs co2 much better than warm beer. A warm beer may foam, but still be undercarbonated when chilled.

The next time, you may want to fill a couple of plastic bottles when you bottle. Either soda bottles, or PET bottles made just for homebrew would work. Keep them with the others. Give them a squeeze every few days. When they are rock hard, the beer is carbonated! (It took me like a year to figure out that trick!)

__________________Broken Leg BreweryGiving beer a leg to stand on since 2006

When I first started brewing I tried one bottle a week to get a feel for how beer ages and carbonates in the bottle. It really helps to let it age the full 3 weeks or more but you can start drinking it earlier. The last bottle is generally the best

If you can then plan on leaving it 3 weeks in before drinking.
That way if all is well you won't be let down and it will have had a little time to condition.If you are still learning then it's worth opening one a week to check on it and educate your self as to how a beer goes from green to conditioned.

The next time, you may want to fill a couple of plastic bottles when you bottle. Either soda bottles, or PET bottles made just for homebrew would work. Keep them with the others. Give them a squeeze every few days. When they are rock hard, the beer is carbonated! (It took me like a year to figure out that trick!)

That's an amazing and amazingly simple idea. Definitely using that one when I bottle my Wit

The next time, you may want to fill a couple of plastic bottles when you bottle. Either soda bottles, or PET bottles made just for homebrew would work. Keep them with the others. Give them a squeeze every few days. When they are rock hard, the beer is carbonated! (It took me like a year to figure out that trick!)

Here's a mod for that trick: When you fill your PET bottle, fill it like you would normally fill a glass bottle, i.e., leave some headspace. Then gently squeeze the bottle to make the fluid level rise the the very lip of the bottle. While continuing to squeeze the bottle, tightly screw down the cap.

As the beer comes into condition, the gas will force itself into making headspace. The squeezed plastic will puff out to the bottle's normal, molded shape. That gives you a visual reference to gauge carbonation!

Squeezing the carbonating bottle allows you to gauge the level of carbonation. The harder the bottle, the more carbonation in the beer. Don't make the mistake I made, though, and use an unopened bottle of pop as a reference. Soda pop is carbonated to a much higher level than you're likely to ever want in your beer, which means the pop bottle will be rock-hard compared to your homebrew.

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